10/09/2012

Gary Patterson & TCU do the right thing for themselves & Casey Pachall

FORT WORTH, Texas - The door is wide open for Casey Pachall to return to TCU and play quarterback as a senior.

"He can come back in January if he gets clean," TCU coach Gary Patterson said of Pachall moments after he announced that Pachall has, or will, disenroll, from the school and plans to enter an in-patient care facility.

Patterson said Pachall can return if the people who are in charge of his care at this facility "tell me he's clean. ... There is no answer right now. Right now he's trying to find out where he's at."

Patterson said this move could cost him a bowl game, but that "he didn't think about that. If you were a betting person, you had a better chance with an experienced quarterback you have a better chance of winning than you don't. That thought process didn't enter my mind."

Patterson used the word "disease" to describe Pachall's condition, but when I asked him if Pachall is an alcoholic he said he didn't know and that he would leave that to be decided by professionals.

"I don't know if the Casey Pachall thing will work out. I don't. But you have to try," Patterson said.

After all of this, this very much feels like the right move for both parties.

Casey gets to get away and get well. The 2012 football team no longer has to worry about this.

Comments

TCU's Administration and Gary Patterson prove again both are exceptional and take a negative situation and handle in a very positive way. No doubt this is the best action for TCU and Casey Pachall. TCU realizes like so few do that an athlete is not a commodity but a person and in this case one that obviously needs help. As a TCU alumni I remain very proud of TCU and my blood still runs very purple and always will. I look at the other schools such as Penn State, Ohio State, LSU and the USC's of the college world, all with long proud traditions yet have their scars to, there is still no other school like TCU that puts the student and academics first and as a small private university able to excell on all platforms both in academics and athletics. My heart goes out to Casey Pachall and his family during this difficult time and I extend my gratitude to Gary Patterson for not just being the best DAMN coach in college football but the integrity and professionalism he brings to TCU. We are most fortunate to have him.

" Not a commodity but a person?" Are you kidding me? Patterson wanted to suit him up on Saturday. But for pressure from the powers that be to whom Patterson reports, that's what would have happened. The athlete becomes a commodity when the coach ignores the first signs of serious trouble - like what Patterson did by not making Pachall sit out when he flunked a drug test in February and admitted to using drugs that can kill. The kid needs help- praise the Chancellor and others who made the decision here- not Patterson.

Gene - Obviously you haven't been following the story. Patterson was following school policy when Casey failed the drug test. As for admitting that he'd tried other drugs, it was in a conversation with the police when they busted his roomate for dealing drugs. How would you like it if your employer fined you/wrote you up for admitting in conversation that you'd tried drugs before without testing you(and I'm sure your employer has the right to drug test you as TCU does its athletes). As for wanting Pachall on the sideline, I think Patterson has a better idea of the mental state of his players than you, the alumni, or the media do. Patterson may have been concerned about what Pachall might do while sitting in front of the tv at home watching his team lose as a constant reminder of how bad he screwed up. Notre Dame's Manti Te'o played the same week he lost his grandmother and girlfriend because of the bond he has with his teammates and comfort of being surrounded by them. Why not allow Pachall that much at such a low point for him?

Following school policy? That's a cop-out. The message Patterson sent to his other players is that even if you flunk a drug test, you are going to keep playing . The message he sent to Pachall was I can't go forward without you. Do you think that if Pachall had been forced to sit out even the lowly Grambling game ( where his presence wasn't needed) that he may have thought twice about getting loaded on a Wednesday night during the season? Suspension means suspension. Heck, Patterson didn't even change his mind until Randy Galloway basically forced him to. I have no doubt that Patterson is still fuming about not being able to play him again this season , at least not of his own choosing.

Gene: I don't think you understand what suiting up meant when Gary said it. Gary had already suspended pachall, but he still wanted Casey to be on the sidelines to support his team. To anyone with intelligence this would mean pachall would be on the sideline, but clearly not playing in the ball game( because he was suspended and suspended players can't play). However people (like randy Galloway) and yourself jumped to conclusions and thought Gary was trying to sneak Casey into the game or something. But because Galloway is an idiot and can't understand basic comments the administration said pachall would be too much bad press out there on the sideline, so he had to sit at home and watch it on TV instead. And think about what you were suggesting, do you really think Gary Patterson would be stupid enough to look over a player going to jail and a couple days later just let him play. Gary may have balls, but not ones that big. Even if Gary does treat players like 'commodities' he's not an idiot to try and get that one past the media. What you are suggesting gene is frankly absurd.

No it's people like you who can't discern the truth and who let their absolute zeal for Patterson obfuscate their ability to perceive reality. Why didn't he suspend Pachall in the first place? of course he was not going to let him play against Iowa State but he sure wanted to play him thereafter if he could get away with it .i love the purple and white but Patterson had this one wrong from the get go. He is about winning at all cost. He has recruited drug dealers , addicts, whatever. There is no dispute about that regardless how you want to spin the truth.Pachall is suspended because the administration demanded it , not because Patterson wanted it . Unfortunately the season is gone because of the selfish nature of Pachall and ,quite honestly , Patterson. His lax discipline has led to some harsh results.

Gene is correct. Casey was crying for help when he admitted to drug use. Did GP care? No. GP had to be told what to do. Does every student at TCU with a drug problem-and there is alot of them, get the same treatment. Eric remove ur purpled colored glasses. Who have you been partying with?

With 20/20 hindsight, yes, Patterson should have benched Pachall when he kicked the drug-runners off the team. I still support his action of today--better late than never. If rehab can return Pachall clean and sober for his senior year, so much the better. Meanwhile, Patterson will do what he must to salvage this season.

Gene, you may love the purple and white, (which I doubt), but you don't have a clue as to what you're talking about in your posts here. You obviously are not close to the situation first hand but have formed an opinion while sitting on your couch pontificating on how you can criticize a very positive move. I have no more time to read any additional ill-conceived comments you have dreamed up while you attempt to get under other readers' skin. ADIOS.

Gene, GP followed TCU and NCAA rules regarding sanctions for a first failed drug test for marijuana. This happens all around the country. It just so happens that this positive drug test was made public. Quit being a tool.

Correct me if I am wrong but didn't Patterson say that he was going to sit Pachall on the bench? Did he change his mind on his own or was there, as this columnist suggests, intense pressure from "above." Y'all are livin' a lie ( see what James posted ) if you think Patterson woke up suddenly in the middle of the night and decided that he needed to put the interests of a 20 year old ahead of his own.

Patterson dismissed three defensive starters back in February, so he is clearly not "all about winning". If AD Del Conte and Chancellor Boschini contributed to the decision that Pachall would leave, so what? Isn't that the whole point of having an AD and a chancellor, to contribute leadership? The point is that the TCU family got this one right, and Coach Patterson will make the most of this season. Boykin and Catalon will need to grow into their roles in a hurry, and that will benefit the team greatly down the road. Go Frogs!!

Here are some facts - only two schools in the nation have a suspension policy for first positive drug test - and both have failed to enforce their policy in the past.

Casey was counseled and punished internally, more than most D1 schools do for first positive test. I played D1 football at another school in a neighboring state and after 1 fail, you got yelled at by a coach. I did more running for missing tackles then failing a test.

The four kicked off the team earlier were kicked out of school also, they did not choose to disenroll, there TCU did not have the same options to support them.

Casey was arrested for a felony and he was going to suit up against Iowa State. Patterson will allow him back if he is told by the rehab doctors he is ok. I guess the other players are not so "worthy" to return?

GP should not even think about letting Pachall suit up as a Frog ever again!!! Trevone Boykin, is are starting QB now. We need to suck it up and let him go through his growing pains and it will prove good for us in the end. I hear everyone talking about what GP did or didn't do. Pachall is an adult and makes his own decisions. When are people gonna focus on that rather then what GP should of or shouldn't of done. Just cause Pachall smoked some Marijuana an tried cocaine and ecstacy doesn't make him an addict. He didn't do anything that 95% of young adults hasn't done. He's just in the spotlight